Strasbourg, 15.05.2009 – “All the necessary background legal regulations to combat violence against women have been enacted in Turkey, but they are not yet fully implemented, thus it is difficult to say that these regulations can eradicate violence against women,“ said Turkey’s Minister responsible for Family and Women’s Affairs Selma Kavaf, speaking at the first meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s network of contact parliamentarians on combating violence against women, taking place today in Istanbul.
“The only way to manage this is to succeed in transforming social attitudes and promote greater understanding of the problem,” she continued. “Accordingly, it is our fundamental objective to help all parties to internalise the combat against violence towards women and embrace gender equality policies.”
“All these activities clearly show that Turkey has the political determination to do what is necessary to combat violence against women, and this is reflected in changes to state policies,” the Minister continued, pointing to the many actions taken in this field.
“Education and training are key to combating violence against women and promoting gender equality,” Turkish Education Minister Nimet Cubukcu also underlined. “For women to overcome their problems in diverse fields and get a hold on their lives, education is the most important asset. With every step that we take on this issue, we are speeding up the pace at which we solve women’s problems,“ she said.
“It is not enough for us to support the drafting of a Council of Europe Convention to combat violence against women; we must continue to revise our legislative framework and monitor the proper implementation of the laws we have passed,” PACE Vice-President Paul Wille (Belgium, ADLE) also emphasised.
The meeting was also addressed by UN Special rapporteur on violence against women Yakin Ertürk, as well as parliamentary, governmental and NGO representatives.
